Tips for Keeping Your Children’s Teeth Healthy

Since I had quite a few cavities when I was growing up, when I had my first child, I was determined to keep their teeth as healthy as can be. While that was easy when my daughter was young and I chose the foods she ate and brushed her teeth for her, it became more difficult as she grew older and became a more independent child. I learned a lot of tips and tricks for helping her maintain a healthy smile despite her quest for independence, and I want to share my advice on a blog to help other parents and people of all ages learn how to keep their teeth healthier than ever! My first tip is to look into dental sealants for children. Just one sealant helped keep my daughter's molars cavity-free for years!

Why You Should See A Dentist Before Using Prosthetic Teeth

Posted on:
5 April 2017

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False teeth can be a lot of fun, especially for costuming purposes like cosplay or during Halloween. While false teeth are generally designed to be safe to wear without damaging your oral health, you should consider seeing a dentist before wearing them. Read on to learn why seeing a dentist before trying on artificial prosthetic teeth is so important.

Adhesive Under Gums

When you have good oral health, your gums form a tight seal around all of your teeth, preventing foreign material from getting under them. However, if you have gingivitis or periodontitis, your gums may not be keeping a tight seal anymore. One symptom of gum disease is that gums recede, creating an open pocket that food debris can get into. While this is enough of a problem, if you're putting on an artificial tooth, the adhesive used to keep it in place could potentially get under your gumline.

While ideally nothing should get under your gums, adhesive is particularly problematic. Adhesive can potentially inflame your gums and cause pain or infection that will have to be treated by a dentist. Due to this, it's ideal to see a dentist first to make sure you don't have gum disease, and if you do, to treat it and reverse it before you wear artificial teeth.

Damage Fillings

Even without gum disease, the adhesive used for artificial teeth can potentially damage the fillings in your teeth. While fillings are designed to put up with a lot of wear and tear typical to daily eating and drinking, adhesive is different. If adhesive is applied directly over a filling, it could potentially pull your filling out, especially when you go to remove the artificial tooth. Fillings that are in good condition should be able to tolerate adhesive, but if yours are loose or cracked, you should have a dentist fix them up before wearing artificial teeth.

Irritating Gums

Lastly, artificial teeth that are too long or made out of a poor-quality material like plastic may cause irritation and inflammation to your gums. If the artificial tooth rubs against your gumline, it could cause pain and bleeding, even if your gums are currently healthy. It may be helpful to take your artificial teeth in to your dentist prior to wearing them to have them measured and to see if they're an appropriate size for you. Your dentist may even be able to show you ways to adhere them to your teeth without them hurting your gums.

There's nothing wrong with wearing false teeth to have some fun, but it's important to take the necessary precautions first. For the sake of your oral health, visit a dentist before you try on your false teeth for the first time.